ibeland



(No Model.)

B. B. IRELAND. GOMPENSATOR POR- WIRE ROPES AND GABLES.

Patented Mar. .23, 1886- INVENTOR ATTORNEYS.

5o device H.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

RICHARD B. IRELAND, OF TRENTON, NE\V JERSEY.

COMPENSATOR FOR WIRE ROPES AND CABLES.

$PECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 338,415, dated March23,1886.

Application filed December 3, 1885. Serial No. 184,596. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, RICHARD B. IRELAND, of the city of Trenton, Mercercounty, and State of New Jersey, have invented a new and usefulImprovement in Oompensators for WVire Ropes and Cables, of which thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to compensators used for taking up the expansionand allowing for the contraction of wire rope or cable used foroperating railway-signals and other mechanism at a distance, and is animprovement on the compensator for which Letters Patent of the UnitedStates No. 308,673 were granted to me December 2, 1884., the object ofthe invention being to provide areliable mechanism in connection withthe shifting-lever for positively moving the signal to both the dangerand safety positions.

The invention consists in the combination, with the operating ropes orcables of a semaphore, the shifting-lever, and two wheels independentlyjournaled side by side, and over which wheels the operating-ropes passin opposite directions, of eccentrically pivoted levers engaging therope-carrying wheels and connected with the operating-lever.

The invention further consists in details of construction andcombinations of parts, as will be hereinafter specifically set forth.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part ofthis specification, in which similar letters of reference indicatecorresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is an elevation of arailway-signal and its operating devicesprovided with my improved compensator. Fig. 2 is a sectional plan viewof the compensator on the line 00 :20 in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a side Viewof the same, in part, partsbeing broken away; and Fig. 4 is a detailview of the connecting-rod.

The post A, with its swinging signal-arm B, the weighted lever O, theconnecting-rod c, and ropes a 6, connected to lever G at opposite sidesof its pivot and extending to the operating-stand, are of the usualconstruction and arrangement. The shifting-leverE is suitably pivoted toor beneath the platform D of the signal-stand, and is provided with thelocking Arms G and G extend in opposite directions from the pivot-pointof the lever E, the arms G carrying a counterbalance weight, H, and thearm G being connected by the forked rod I with the operating-lever ofthe compensating device, to be presently described.

Beneath the platform D, in bracket-arms K, extending from the post L, isheld the shaft M, upon which are loosely mounted the two similar-flangedwheels N and O, which wheels may be plain flanged wheels for carrying awire rope, or sproket-wheels for a chain, as shown. The rope a, forturning the signal to safety, passes around the wheel N in the directionof the arrow at, and has at its free end the weight d, as in mybefore-mentioned patent, and the rope I), for turning the signal to thedanger position, passes over the wheel 0 in the direction opposite tothat of the rope a over wheel N, and is provided with the weight d, bywhich arrangement the ropes a and b are at all times, regardless of thecondition of the atmosphere, kept at uniform tension, and if the wheelsN and O are revolved together the signal-arm B will have apositivemovement corresponding to the movement ofsaid wheels. For securing thismovement of the wheels N and O, I provide the followingdescribedmechanism:

To the outer side of 7 each of the arms K is adjustably secured a bar,P, having at its outer end a fork, e, and in the fork e is pivoted theinner end of a lever, Q, the free end of ,which lever is pivoted to onemember of the forked lower end of the connecting-rod I. The inner facesof the outwardly-extending flanges f of each of the wheels N and O areprovided with the internal gear B, and 011 the inner side of each oflevers Q is secured a gear-segment, S. The arms 1? are adjusted on thebrackets Kin such position that the pivotpoints g of the levers Q areabove and in advance of the axis of the shaft M, and the segments S aresecured upon the levers Q in such position that when the lever E isthrown to danger the teeth of thesegments S are out of engagement withthe gear R, and the wheels N and O are free to be revolvedby the ropes aand b to compensate for shrinkage or expansion of the said ropes. Whenthe lever E is thrown to safety, the levers Q, through the arms G andconnection I, are raised,whereby the segments S are thrown intoengagement with the gears R, and the wheels N and O are revolvedsynchronously, and the signal B is moved to safety. When thelever isthrown back to danger, the gearsegmentsS give the wheels N O the reversemovement, owing to the constant tension maintained in the ropes a and b.These movements are positive and always of the same extent.

Having thus fully described my invention, I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent- 1. A compensating device for wire ropes,consisting of an internally-geared wheel over which the rope passes, alever carrying a gearsegment pivoted eccentric'ally to the axis of thesaid wheel, and a hand-lever connected to the free end of the levercarrying the gearsegment, substantially as herein shown and described.

2. A compensating device for operating the ropes of asemaphore,consisting of two loosely and independently-mounted wheels over whichthe operating-ropes pass in opposite directions, an operating-lever, twolevers pivoted eccentrically to the fiXiS of and normally disengagedfrom said wheels, and a suitable connection between said operatingleverand the eccentrically-mounted levers, substantially as set forth. 1

3. The compensating device for the operating-ropes of a semaphore,consisting of two wheels mounted side by side loosely and independently,and provided each with an internal gear, and over which wheels the saidropes pass in opposite directions, levers pivoted eccentrically to theaxis of said wheels, and a gear-segment secured to each of said levers,substantially as shown and described.

4. The combination, with the rope a of a semaphore, of the whcelN,provided with internal gear, R, and carrying the end of said rope, thelever Q, pivoted eccentrically to the axis of said wheel, the segment 8,secured to lever Qadjacent to the gear R, the levers E G, and theconnecting rod I, substantially as shown and described.

5. The combination, with the wheel N, mounted in brackets K and providedwith the internal gear, R, of segment S, lever Q, carrying said segment,and pivoted eccentrically to axis of said wheel N, and the adj ustablearmP, secured to one of the brackets K, substantially as shown anddescribed.

6. The combination, with the operatingropes of a semaphore, of thewheels N and 0, provided each with an internal gear, R, and over whichwheels the said ropes pass in opposite directions, the shaft M, mountedin the brackets K, the adjustable arms P, thelevers Q, the segments S,the levers E G, and the forked connecting rod I, substantially as shownand described.

RICHARD B. IRELAND.

Witnesses:

GEo. LUTHER, G. SEDwIcK.

